Skipping Dessert … and taking the stairs

Yes, it’s Wednesday already.  No, I don’t know what happened to the first half of the week.  I do know there are some simple, but not obvious, food traps many of us find ourselves in.  Here are five ways you might be sabotaging your weight loss without realizing it.

1.)  Corn.  I know.  You might think it’s a vegetable.  After all, they sell it with the other vegetables.  But it’s not.  It’s a grain. A grass, actually.  And it can come and get your metabolism just like a big ‘ol Wonder Bread sandwich.  No, it’s not the worst thing in the world, and it has lots of fiber.  Just trust me.  Easy on the corn.

2.)  Popcorn.  Yes, I just covered corn.  This subset of corn gets a lot of us in trouble.  Leaving aside the overwhelming temptation to pour a strange butter-like substances all over it before you eat it, have you noticed that when you finally stop eating the popcorn, your belly already hurts?  OK, sure, this doesn’t apply to YOU.  But it applies to the rest of us.  Easier to not buy that super-sized bucket of popcorn than to try being mindful about it in the middle of the second reel.

3.)  Mashed Potatoes.  Yep. I believe that you only intend to have a forkful or two.  But it never works out that way, does it?  Tell you what:  If you make it yourself and start from scratch – big ‘ol dusty potatoes, a peeler and potful of boiling water – you can eat as much of this as you want.  No boxes of “instant.”

4.)  Fruit Juice.  It’s not fruit.  It’s sweetened water.  Yes, it’s (a lot) better for you than soda.  No, it’s not as healthy as water.  Or actual fruit. Check out the label and then check out how much you’re actually drinking.  Do your own math.

5.)  Coffee.  Well, not the actual coffee.  The stuff you put in it.  I don’t know what the percentage of people who drink their coffee black might be, but I’m pretty sure there’s a reason the Publix stocks so much half-and-half.  I’m especially guilty of this one (and “guilty” is the wrong term, I just can’t find the right term right now), so I’m trying to only add it to my first cup these days.

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If you’re doing just fine and still ingesting all of the above, more power to you!  I haven’t said this for a few weeks, so let me remind you that I am NOT preaching at you.  But if you’re looking for some hints about what might be holding you back, weight-loss-wise, think about these.

As always, thanks for reading.